


The Thirteen Warriors

by Angela_Jahnel



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: Ancient History, F/M, Gods, Horror, Love, Mayan Mythology - Freeform, One Shot, Unhealthy Relationships, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 15:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13837224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angela_Jahnel/pseuds/Angela_Jahnel
Summary: Mayan mythology story about the tumultuous relationship between the sun god and moon goddess. Backstory for Imajean and the Spiderling.





	The Thirteen Warriors

**Author's Note:**

> This story is deliberately written in a storytelling style, with very little spoken text from the characters. This is an origin story for the creature from Imajean and the Spiderling. The stories can be read in any order, but my preference is for Imajean first, then this one. The gods in this story were actually part of Mayan mythology, but the warriors and creatures are my unique creations.

In the time of the great Mayans, there was a young moon goddess named Ix Chel. Her hair was as opalescent as the moon which she embodied and her beauty was almost too dazzling to look upon. All of the gods were captivated by her extraordinary beauty, except for Kinich Ahau, the sun god. Ix Chel did not want to marry any of the other gods, she desired only Kinich Ahau. Every sunrise and sunset, Ix Chel would catch a glimpse of the sun god on the horizon. She was dazzled by his radiance as he flowed across the sky, bringing warmth and light to the world. Her love for him grew stronger every day.

Ix Chel was famous for her weaving skills, so she decided to weave some beautiful cloth in order to catch the attention of Kinich Ahau. She carefully wove the cloth from moonbeams, then scattered glittering starlight across its surface. The spectacular fabric shimmered with colors that dazzled the eye. Ix Chel made a breathtaking gown out of the cloth and wore it to impress the sun god. 

The next evening, as the sun was setting, Ix Chel sat upon her crescent moon, brushing her shining hair. Her starlight gown flowed around her, billowing in the celestial winds. Kinich Ahau had a love of all things beautiful. He knew of Ix Chel’s famous beauty, but he still had considered her unworthy of his attention. When he saw her in the shimmering gown, Kinich Ahau was dazzled. He instantly fell in love with her and vowed to make her his wife. 

The sun god and the moon goddess married and were blissfully happy….for a while.

Kinich Ahau was an overprotective and very jealous husband. Ix Chel’s beauty was legendary and he knew that many of the gods desired to steal his wife from him. The sun god decided to create thirteen sacred warriors to protect and watch over Ix Chel. Each of the warriors was a shining star that Kinich Ahau scattered around his precious moon goddess. These warriors were protectors, and also spies for the jealous sun god. They made life very difficult for Ix Chel. She was faithful to her husband and couldn’t understand his jealousy. Wherever she went, her thirteen warriors followed. If a god showed too much interest in Ix Chel or attempted to make advances, her thirteen warriors sprang into action to defend her honor. She had no real freedom anymore, no time to be alone in the night sky, but she bore the burden of her guards with patience and dignity.

Over time, the thirteen warriors came to love and respect the moon goddess. Their loyalty turned towards her, and they forgot their original master was Kinich Ahau, the mighty sun god. The warriors lavished attention on their beautiful moon goddess and scoured the corners of the earth to find beautiful and unusual presents for her. They brought her gold, silver, and jewels, anything that would shine or glitter under the moonlight. Ix Chel was delighted with these gifts, especially since her husband paid her little attention. Kinich Ahau was too busy bringing light to the world and quarreling with the other gods. The moon goddess learned to love her thirteen guardians and no longer desired to be alone. They had ceased to be a burden to bear, and were now her friends and lovers.

The warriors eventually stopped reporting to Kinich Ahau and the sun god took notice. He decided to look for Ix Chel as soon as he rose in the sky the next morning. The sun god watched with disgust as his perfectly crafted warriors fawned all over his beloved wife. To his horror, his wife seemed to return their affection! How could she have betrayed him so?

Kinich Ahau looked upon his creations with newly opened eyes and realized his mistake. He loved all things beautiful, so he had made his thirteen warriors beautiful as well as strong and brave. Their bodies were perfection; skin that gleamed like bronze, hair as black as obsidian, and dark, flashing eyes that charmed his beloved moon goddess.

Kinich Ahau flew into a rage when he discovered this treachery. He confronted his wife and her lovers, and a great battle ensued. The thirteen warriors battled valiantly to protect their goddess, but they were no match for the powerful sun god. Kinich Ahau plucked one of the defeated warriors from the field of battle and shook his wounded, bloody body in front of the horrified moon goddess. 

“This was your doing, wife. You are a weak-willed woman who was charmed by their beauty. You betrayed me and forced me to harm my own perfect creations,” the sun god stated with remorse.

His face suddenly became harsh and his golden eyes shone with fury. 

“I will not destroy your lovers. Instead, I will make you watch their suffering every night as you shine upon the earth,” he snarled as he gripped the fallen warrior. 

Kinich Ahau stretched the injured warrior between his mighty hands. Bone, tendon, and muscle creaked as the warrior’s body lengthened and distorted. Each finger became as long as a human arm, with a multitude of new joints where the bones had been painfully broken apart. Fractured arms and legs grew to impossible lengths under the assault of the sun god. Kinich Ahau gripped the warrior by the throat and stretched his neck and torso in a similar fashion. The once powerfully-muscled chest became thin and snake-like, the neck almost too fragile to hold up his head. The warrior bore the pain bravely, not wanting to frighten his beloved moon goddess, but a few cries still escaped his lips under the horrible assault. All that remained undamaged was the warrior’s handsome face, but he knew it would soon be destroyed as well. 

The warrior raised his sorrowful eyes to Ix Chel and whispered “Do not look upon me, goddess. I wish you to remember me as I was, strong and handsome.” 

Kinich Ahau laughed at this weak sentiment and savagely wrenched at the warrior’s head. The jaw was stretched to impossible lengths, the teeth left broken and jagged. The warrior’s once-shining eyes became black pools of emptiness that seemed to run down his distorted face. Two elongated, snuffling holes were all that remained of his nose. The sun god threw the pitiful creature at the feet of his wife.

“How do you like your handsome lover now, my dear wife?”, he asked with contempt.

Ix Chel could not bear to look upon her lover. She hid her eyes behind her hands and wept. Kinich Ahau wrenched her hands away from her face and forced her to look at the loathsome creature before her. The moon goddess cried out when she saw the horrible damage her husband had caused. Her former lover was now the most foul being she had ever laid eyes upon. She recoiled in disgust, and was ashamed that she could not bring herself to still love her fallen warrior. This was exactly the reaction the sun god hoped to achieve. An evil smile spread across his face as he reached for another warrior.

One by one, the thirteen warriors were transformed into hideous creatures with tangled limbs and distorted bodies. Kinich Ahau smiled at his handiwork, then spoke to his warriors one last time.

“You once noble warriors betrayed me. Now you will skulk through the darkness and live as filthy carrion-eaters. You may look upon the beauty of the moon goddess, but know that she will forever be horrified by your appearance. If you ever show your pathetic bodies to me again, I will burn you to ash! Begone from my sight!”, he shouted.

Kinich Ahau flung the thirteen warriors to all the corners of the earth. Their frail bodies slammed into the ground, burrowing deeply into the soil. The heat of the impact melted the soil and rock around them, which cooled to form rough, glassy sides around the tubular holes.

The broken warriors eventually learned to scrape out an existence. They dug out tunnels at the bottom of their pits, some for food storage and some for safety. During the height of the day, the hateful sun could shine directly down into the wells, so the warriors needed somewhere to escape the burning rays. They skulked at the bottom of their wells during the heat of the day, then emerged from their lairs at night to feed upon rotting corpses or young, tender creatures. They watched the hated sun from deep within their prisons, always fearful of the sun god’s wrath. The warriors eagerly anticipated nightfall, so they could watch the glorious moon goddess climb high into the sky. Only then did long, spidery limbs creep from each well, pulling the distorted body behind it. The warriors would always pause at the lip of the well, their pale, waxy bodies seeming to bathe in the moonglow of their beloved goddess. Eventually, the warriors began to grow weaker and spent more and more time sleeping at the bottom of their wells. Only during the full moon, when the moonlight shone directly down into their prisons, did they awaken from their slumber. Then they would slowly crawl upwards, toward their precious goddess.

For thousands of years, each warrior laid at the bottom of his tomb, runny eyes turned upwards, toward the night sky. They lurk below the ground, dreaming of the day they might be restored to their beautiful warrior bodies and be reunited with their lost love. From above, all that can be seen is a well with a lip of black obsidian that flashes in the sun, much like the shining eyes of a warrior.


End file.
